The significance of the white pant suit Hillary Clinton wore to accept her presidential nomination

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Hillary Clinton made history yesterday when sheaccepted the Democratic presidential nomination. While this moment was about so much more than what she was wearing, Clinton knows that everything down to the colour of her jacket has significance and is an important branding tool to communicate key messages regarding her campaign.

Clinton stepped away from Democrat blue and patriotic red pantsuits that she has favoured throughout the campaign so far, and instead opted for a sharp White-House white suit. It was elegant, sleek and polished, making her look presidential, but the simple white cut and matching top also didn't distract from the thing she wanted the world to focus on: her powerful speech.

Hillary Clinton at the DNCCredit:
EPA

She might have opted for white to stand out against the shower of red and blue balloons, knowing that this contrast of colour would give the most impact in the photographs printed in newspapers throughout the globe. However it has also been suggested that the colour white was a nod to her making history as a woman, and getting one step closer to being the first female President of the United States.

"What an incredible honor that you have given me, and I can't believe we just put the biggest crack in that glass ceiling yet," Clinton said at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week. A number of people on Twitter noted that her white pant suit can also be seen as a classic symbol of feminism. The British and American women in the Suffragette movement, who often wore smart outfits in purple, white and green when protesting, used fashion to create a clear, recognisable political identity and to further their cause. White was worn by the Suffragettes to signify purity.

Clinton, as the first major party female nominee, is wearing white, the color of suffragettes. As did Gerry Ferraro in VP speech in 1984.

Whether she intended to reference the Suffragettes or not, there is certainly a marketing strategy to every outfit Hillary Clinton wears during her campaign, devised by the very best in the industry. According to Business of Fashion one of the advisors in camp Clinton orchestrating her image for these key moments is Editor in Chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour. "On certain occasions, Wintour has approached designers to procure outfits for Clinton, who has settled into a uniform of brightly coloured pantsuits and jackets by US designers. Unlike many celebrities, who are often lent or gifted fashion items, Clinton’s campaign pays for her clothes," reports BoF. She also hired Michelle Obama’s former aide Kristina Schake to help shape her style and image.

Hillary Clinton has created a consistent political uniform, wearing block colour trouser suits throughout her presidential campaign. "Far from making her seem trivial, Clinton’s subsequent detours, albeit succinct, into fashion chit-chat have helped her seem more rounded, less touchy," The Telegraph's Fashion Director Lisa Armstrong has argued previously about why we need to accept that what Hillary Clinton wears does matter. "But authentic? Owning her inner bitch ? (Are we really ready to reclaim that word by the way and what would it look like – Cruella de Vil?) Surely for most of us finding a workable mode of power-dressing (and we all need outfits that make us look as though we know what we’re doing) is about accepting that sleight of hand is involved. It’s a question of fixing on an image that looks right and accustomising ourselves to it until it feels right."

One woman trying to make a point that we can notice- and comment on- Hillary Clinton's outfit is the owner of the Instagram account @hillarystreetstyle. The Instagrammer, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has poured through the archives to find pictures of Clinton dressed like style icons on the red carpet, including Angelina Jolie, Victoria Beckham, Grace Kelly and more. The Instagrammer explained to Vanity Fair that she hopes that fashion can become an accepted part of our dialogue about politics: “I think hopefully, particularly if she has a second term, maybe she can just wear what she wants for once.”